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Governor Deval Patrick speask during a press conference at Tower Square Thursday at which he announced that $ 5 million will go to the new University of Massachusetts satellite center which will open in the fall at Tower Square.
(Mark M. Murray/The Republican)

While U.S. Rep. Richard Neal vows to fight plans to cut Westover Air Reserve Base by 334 positions and half its fleet (as he must), Gov. Deval Patrick is taking a dimmer, and perhaps more realistic, view of the prospects for the Chicopee base.

The loss of these jobs and jets will have a significant impact on the base, its families and on Western Massachusetts. Westover has represented a solid identity and foundation of jobs and pride to residents of Western Massachusetts since 1940.

“I don’t think we’ll be able to reverse it,” he told The Republican and MassLive.com Editorial Board.

The plan is to eliminate 59 full-time and 275 part-time Reservist posts. Eight of the base’s C-5B Galaxy jets will be moved to Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland in Texas.

Patrick established the Massachusetts Military Asset and Security Strategy Task Force in 2012. And last month, the state Legislature approved Patrick's $177 million spending capital plan for improvements at all the state's military bases, including Westover and Barnes Air Force Base in Westfield.

However, Patrick has a vision for the reuse of Westover. Actually, he has visions, for he imagines more than one way the base might continue to function as an integral part of the employment base of Western Massachusetts.

Patrick sees Westover as a commercial airport, specifically for air freight traffic. The bill includes $160,000 for a market study on freight that will be undertaken by Westover Metropolitan Development Corp.

Logan, Patrick said, is limited by geography. With plenty of acreage and close proximity to Interstates 90 and 91, Westover has one of the longest runways on the East Coast. The idea of moving air freight traffic from Logan International Airport to Chicopee makes sense.

In addition, the governor proposes making part of Westover into high-technology center. Already part of the former base functions as industrial parks, and more industrial park space is needed in this region.

This is exciting as the governor announces initiatives within his economic development package to fuel international trade, keep foreign talent in Massachusetts, and boost technology.

In Massachusetts, Patrick points to MITRE, a high-tech nonprofit that started as a project of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology at Hanscom Air Reserve Base, and at Natick Soldier Systems Center, a military research complex that develops protective clothing and gear for soldiers.

He admits Westover has a ways to go to be able to do what these other bases have.

“I don’t think we’ve quite cracked that code for Westover yet.”

Maybe not. But where there’s hope and vision among smart and effective leaders, there is also possibility.